Journals and Diaries
by hydro0228
Summary: A collection of Jelsa one-shots of different concepts. May or may not turn into a full-length story. Often includes other characters.
1. Chapter 1

**Journals and Diaries**

**Chapter 1**

**"Fun is virtual... just what is this real life you speak of?" -Jack**

Jack quickly threw his backpack onto his bed and went to the desk. He lifted the laptop's lid and pressed the power button. While waiting for the computer to boot, he left his small room and into the apartment's kitchen to get a can of orange soda. Through the window, he could see snow falling, it was the middle of December after all.

Winter Break had just started and now Jack could forget all about school work. His roommate wouldn't be back until late night so he was now alone. He silently thanked the professors for not leaving any work over Christmas.

Sitting down comfortably in the office chair, Jack took the wireless mouse and clicked on a desktop icon. A login screen came up for the game Fantasia Online. He hurriedly typed in the required password for his account. It completed the authorization process, but it did not jump into the game right away as usual. Instead, he was greeted with an update screen.

Jack groaned and leaned back into his chair, he had expected this. It was the first day for the special Christmas event. Meaning limited time and special loots. For the rest of the two weeks period, he would play the game in order to farm for the legendary armor set. His in-game character was already at the maximum level cap and had acquired the best possible gears. But the ones that were promised to be available in the special boss, it would boost his stats even higher.

The chance of finding the items were slim, the highest percentage was 5% at best. Jack had only managed to gather a few from last year. Without the full set, the exclusive stats wouldn't activate, making it weaker than the ones he already had. So he auctioned them for a large sum of Gin, the game's currency.

Staring at the progress bar, he would have to wait for another 5 minutes with his internet speed. Jack sighed and stepped outside to get a bag of chips while it was loading. The wait had better be worth it, he's rather impatient when it came to gaming.

The short installation finished, the game launched and Jack could see the name Fantasia Online appeared as an intro video started playing, he quickly skipped it after seeing it for like 50 times, he'd memorized the entire content by heart. With the new generation of game engine, the game did not fail to impress him with its graphical fidelity.

Jack picked his highest level character from the selection screen, a level 90 male fighter and mage hybrid wearing a cloak with armor underneath and holding a staff. He chose the Pizza Planet server and the in-game model named FrostbiteOverdose spawned at his last location, Southern Province of Corona. It was where he'd purchased his home and where his guild house was.

He left the virtual home and was greeted with a wonderful view of character models walking about doing their business. Jack sprinted to the guild house, instead of using walkways like the NPCs, he abused the Parkour system by hopping over fences and running on rooftops. Several high level players on the way offered a trade for his armor set, but Jack refused, he worked hard for it.

Jack saw the guild house not too far away, it wasn't the largest, but it was costly. His guildmates decided to share the Gin when buying the house. He walked inside the three-story building, opening up the friend list, Jack could see that everyone were already online. As he waited, he made his character ate a virtual breakfast.

Half a minute later almost everyone showed up, Jack saw different characters in many outfits came into the guild house. They all wore the title RAD under their names, Rangers At Dawn, they were known to be one of the best guilds to exist in Fantasia Online. Small in numbers, yet influential in power and strength. They had been around since the game's closed beta version, and that was almost 3 years ago. At least they weren't as haughty as other guilds, like the one called themselves EOTE, Elitest Of The Elites.

_-Hiya everybody!- _xChocolat3FTWx, a female clad in orange armor greeted all the 8 other RAD members present in the room with a waving action. It was a good thing that Fantasia Online allowed the option for apparel styles change, otherwise all the high level female armors were rather revealing, with the exception of mages. Not that Jack complained.

-Sup?- Jack typed back.

_-Hey!-, -Yo!-, -…-, -Hi everybody!, -Sup?-, -Hullo.-, -Hi.- _Various speech bubbles appeared one after another acknowledging the players.

-You guys ready to do go?- Jack typed in.

_-Let's go bruthas and sistas :D- _DaNoseDive commented.

-Alrighty then, lets party up,- Jack remarked and formed a new party, he invited all of the guild members. They all accepted and he took a look at the list.

_Party members:_

_ (Party Leader)_

_ 3FTWx_

_ :3_

_5.-RedArrow-_

_ -posh_

_9.__AXEllence_

Jack opened up the quest log to see if he had any leftover side quests, there were a few regarding crafting, but he'd do them later. He had finished the end game of the current Corona's storyline, the next world expansion won't be until the new year and from what he'd seen from the images, it's going to be in a kingdom called Arendelle and its enemy Southern Isles. For now he'd just focused on the Christmas event for the special loots.

-Alright then, let's hit the harbormaster, I think that's where the quest is- Jack typed in and controlled his character out side of the house, he then summoned his white and gray Dire Wolf mount to travel faster.

_-Right behind ya!- _Jack saw -RedArrow-'s comment popped up in the upper left chat box. He turned his camera around to see behind him and saw many different types of mounts used by his guildmates.

Within 30 seconds, Jack saw the harbor master by the docks with a red and green striped exclamation point above his head indicating a special Christmas quest. He went up in front of him and hit the action key to trigger the conversation. Jack hit 'Next' after 'Next' to get through the pointless text boxed explaining what was going on. Despite well voice acted, it was a chore reading and the dude talked slow.

_-Ah travelers... _(Next)… _Christmas is threatened..._ (Next)… _The King of Nightmares once again..._ (Next)… _You must assist... _(Next)… _Travel to..._ (Next)… _Meet the Northern Guardian Clause... _(Next)… _To defeat..._ (Next)…-

_-Will you accept this quest?-_

Jack wasted no time in hitting 'Accept' and a new quest appeared in his quest log as it appeared.

__The Nightmare Before Christmas__

_- ...Meet Guardian Clause in the North Pole... -in progress-_

The RAD party members now received the quest as it showed up under their party list as 'Current Objective'. The only way to reach North Pole was to use Fast Travel, Jack and everyone made their way onto the designated ship.

The screen turned blue with a small loading circle in the corner spinning with tips for players below a concept art picture of North Pole.

When the loading finished, Jack found himself looking at a snow covered dock. To meet Clause, they had to travel to the very top of the mountain. The ship's captain said his common goodbye and good luck speech when the RAD members stepped off.

The area was almost cleared of players. It was one of the reasons why Jack would pick a less popular server, it's easier to set up a dungeon raid team without people asking to join. The less people in a team, the more loots they get for themselves. Comparing the population size to Pride Rock server was quite large.

Using the extra speed given by the mounts, the RAD members went to the set destination point through the town. It was as alive as a game could get, NPCs and players alike populated the streets as the city was decorated with colorful lights. There was a large Christmas tree in the town center covered in glistening ornaments and snow.

-Anyone still need to buy anything before we go up the mountain? Pots? TP flags? Armors need fixing?- Jack typed in the question as he saw the mountain road up ahead.

_-Nope. All good here.- _-RedArrow- answered him.

_-Got all I need.- _Hicca-posh replied.

_-I'm good ^_^- _xChocolat3FTWx commented.

_-No.-_ IcyYourHeart responded.

_-No need.-_ AXEllence said.

_-I'm good.- _DaNoseDive stated.

_-Good here.- _ReindeerBFF said.

_-Yatta, let's go.- _AintNoSunshin:3 replied and dashed ahead on her Crooked Chameleon mount.

-To the workshop we go!- Jack typed in and set a waypoint for Guardian Clause's location using the map, which was near the top of the mountain.

While on their way to the workshop, Jack would often slow down to admire his character's surroundings. The dynamic weather really made the game look realistic, with a nice touch of aesthetic for fantasy. How the snow would change in direction as it fell when the wind shifted. The view distance was fantastic, amazing lightings and real time reflections, the animations were top notched. Not to mention the great music and sound design accompanying the game. Moments like these he'd turn off the HUD to take in on what Fantasia Online had to offer.

Suddenly the rhythm of the music changed as Jack heard small growling noises from the speakers that he plugged into the laptop. A pack of level 72 Wild Dire Wolf, there were about 8 of them. He quickly dismounted and shifted his character into battle mode, his own Dire Wolf switched from Mount status to Assist.

-Alright Icy, let's make this quick with a blizzard and avalanche combo. Arrow and AXE, get them while we stun. Chocolate and Sunshine, buff us.- Jack commanded as his character took out the staff and stated spinning it for style. Jack turned the HUD back on.

Jack's character swiftly turned blue as he received a magic damage buff from AintNoSunshin:3, IcyYourHeart was the same. He picked the CC spell fully leveled Avalanche spell as Icy used her Blizzard. The 2 spells joined and combined with power and effectiveness. Blizzard reduced the Wild Dire Wolfs' visions and Avalanche rooted them in their place. Damages were dealt, but did no more than taking away 1,000 total out of 15, 000 HP due to their strong resistance against the element.

AXEllence ran up to the Wild Dire Wolfs and knocked all 8 of them into the air with her skill Shockwave, damaged amplified by the physical damage buff given by xChocolat3FTWx. From the back, -RedArrow- fired with Flaming Arrow, a barrage of arrows coated with Lavapit Fire pierced straight through the enemies dropping their HP down to only 100 each. AXEllence finished the job with ease as her skill Rolling Blade spun her Viking Axe easily through the monsters, spilling red blood all over the snow covered path.

The pack of Wild Dire Wolfs collapsed, their bodies stayed for a little before dissipating into thousands of tiny reflective crystals. Being at maximum level, the amount of EXP distributed didn't matter so the game turned it to extra Gin for the players.

-Gj guys, let's keep going.- Jack typed, he mounted onto his Dire Wolf and started going ahead. The rest of the RAD members followed him. That was until a giant Untamed Dire Wolf jumped out of the forest blocking their way, a rank 7 boss. It sniffed the ground where the reflective crystals were, it looked into the sky and howled loudly before growling at them. Jack groaned, he hated random encounters sometimes and he dismounted once again.

_-Okay, this is a tough one, 275,000 HP, very strong resistance against Water element, much less so for Lightning. Let Hic do this one.- _DaNoseDive commented using his Observation skill, unique to only Assassin class.

-Alright then, Icy and I will CC it as much as we can. Reindeer, be our tank. Chocolate, taunt him. Nose, get the traps out. AXE and Arrow, wear him down. Sunshine, stay in the back and heal. Hic, charge the Plasma Shot. What are its weaknesses?- Jack commanded the team and prepared himself to fight.

_-Leg joints and eyes. Mouth for crit damage.- _DaNoseDive replied.

-You hear him hic, go for the crit.- Jack directed, his character glowed blue and started spinning the staff.

_-Got it.- _Hicca-posh said as he built an Elemental Cannon.

Jack and IcyYourHeart again used their Blizzard and Avalanche combo, despite barely doing any damage, it prevented the beast from moving around for a short period of time.

ReindeerBFF stood in front of the group with a large shield, he activated Strong Stance to boost physical defense and Impenetrable for magical.

DaNoseDive increased in speed, turned on Invisible, but Jack could still see his outline due to being in the same party. DaNoseDive zipped around the area quickly and placed snares and bomb traps around the Untamed Dire Wolf.

xChocolat3FTWx used the Taunt ability to gain the beast's attention, it worked as its head followed her back and forth.

In the mean time AXEllence charged at the boss going for a Horizontal Strike, it connected with one of its forelegs, it howled in pain. It looked at her and tried to go for a Bite, but was knocked back by an arrow to its eye.

-RedArrow- continued the assault with Precision Arrow, one after another, the arrows found their way to their target.

Hicca-posh was charging his Plasma Shot, the projectile inside the mobile cannon made the barrel emitting a purple aura.

AintNoSunshin:3 made sure to keep every RAD members in top condition with her Global Heal while standing in the back of the group.

The Untamed Dire Wolf attempted to do a Roar to disrupt all forms of disables. It opened its mouth to perform the ability, but a fully charged Plasma Shot whizzed straight into the beast's jaw, leaving behind a trail of black ashes. It howled in pain and stumbled back, which sprung many traps subduing it for a short duration.

Every single RAD member including their Assist mounts charged to do as much damage as they can. Jack quick-equipped a two-handed sword as he ran forward. Weapons, ranging from knives to axes bombarded onto the Untamed Dire Wolf. Its HP drained quickly to a measly 125,000.

They retreated just as quickly when the boss recovered and performed Roar. It launched an environmental enhanced Ice Blast at the RAD members. However, AintNoSunShin:3 buffed ReindeerBFF's Impenetrable by 5 times reducing the Ice Blast's damage significantly.

The Untamed Dire Wolf charged at them with a Headbutt, but Strong Stance withstood impressively. The beast cooled down from the attack and stepped back slightly. The RAD members took that chance to repeat the combination and defeated the rank 7 boss.

The Untamed Dire Wolf didn't even made a sound as it collapsed and dissipated, Jack and the gang gained a good sum of Gin. A wild boss was much easier comparing to one of the same rank in a dungeon.

-Gj, now let's get going fast, I don't want another delay.- Jack commented, he mounted the Dire Wolf and spurred it.

_-Yeah, agree, let's gooo guys (/)*o*)/)- _xChocolat3FTWx made her poor Sadistic Snowman hopped at high speed.

The group quickly dispatched any mobs that showed up, luckily there were no wild bosses for a long fight. Jack saw the lighthouse in the distance, where the Northern Guardian Clause resided. He opened the door when he reached it and seamlessly walked inside after dismounting.

There were different artifacts everywhere, they were from all the places Fantasia Online had shown so far: Burgess, Berk, Corona, and Dunbroch. Some were unfamiliar, Jack assumed they're from the new expansion of Arendelle and Southern Isles.

Jack ignored all of the Elves and Yetis NPCs doing their programmed works and walked into an elevator with his guildmates. The elevator went upward, it stopped at the very top floor, Jack stepped out and went up a set of stairs to see a large man in red standing by the railing in front of the bright golden lantern. Jack went closer and engaged the conversation.

_-Ah greetings travelers, it seems you have accepted my request to defeat the King of Nightmares, Pitch Black. For the safety of Christmas..._ (Next)_… Nightmares must be eliminated from children's..._ (Next)_… It is no easy task... _(Next)_… That is where he resides... _(Next)_… Be careful travelers, he has gotten more powerful.-_

After lazily skipping through the conversation, Jack's quest log updated.

__The Nightmare Before Christmas__

_- ...Meet Guardian Clause in the North Pole... -completed-_

_- ...Defeat Pitch Black, The King of Nightmares... -in progress-_

Jack set the way point and the party left the lighthouse. Their destination was a frozen lake so they had to head back down the mountain. Instead this time they were provided with a quick access using a flying carriage by Guardian Clause.

The vehicle landed on a thick layer of ice in the middle of a lake, everything frozen and the night sky made it looked ominous. Not even the moonlight was able to penetrate the dark clouds. It was barely lit and AintNoSunshin:3 had to use her light magic to lead the way.

The RAD members stopped in front of a well, locked with planks of woods. Jack hit the top with a simple Ice Needle spell and a message popped up.

_-You are about to enter a rank +++ dungeon, a party is highly recommended. Proceed?-_

Jack hit 'Yes'.

The well glowed, the wooden planks broke and fell down to the side revealing a completely pitch black entrance, an abyss.

-Let's do this guys!- Jack typed and made his character jumped in. He saw many different agreements from his guildmates before the loading screen hit. Patiently waiting for the dungeon to start, he grabbed a few pieces of chips and shoved them into this mouth, picking up any crumbs that fell. The orange juice almost emptied at this point.

The game finished loading, Jack saw his character fell into a pond, the water splashed. He swam to the edge and climbed out. The was a small torch hanging on a column illuminated the area. Turning back he saw the rest of his party members fell one by one. He was in a daze as he observed the water effects, it was absolutely stunning. The detail even went into the small droplets falling from the character's clothing.

The underground was dark and Jack could barely see in front of him. The map didn't help at all as there was no information, they were going in blind. Certainly a big change from last year's. AintNoSunshin:3 lead the group with her Glow Sprite ability, the rest of the members equipped a torch in their off-hand.

It was a cave system, much more complicated than what Jack was used to, the ambient sounds were upgraded too. Now their footsteps would echo as they walked. It was haunting and dark. He could hear galloping in the distance, water dripping off of stalactites. Their noises bounced around columns and walls rendering DaNoseDive's Observation skill useless.

_-They really went all out this year.- _-RedArrow- commented.

_-No kidding, almost like a horror level now.- _Hicca-posh agreed.

_-Aww, I hate scary stuff ):- _xChocolat3FTWx said as she stood in the middle of the group.

_-You poor unfortunate soul, hehehe, sadly you're the one with taunts.- _DaNoseDive teased.

_-I hate you, sis, protect me D':- _xChocolat3FTWx scuffled next to IcyYourHeart, who was right behind Jack.

_-There there, don't listen to Eugene over there.- _IcyYourHeart said, patting xChocolat3FTWx's back with the action command.

_-Hey! I thought we agreed to no using real name, and it's FLYNN!- _DaNoseDive complained.

-Then don't tease little Coco here Eugene. Listen to Icy.- Jack snickered as he typed.

_-Pssh, of course you'd side with Icy over here, she's ur gf after all.- _Jack could see DaNoseDive's eyes rolling in real life as he replied.

-Gotta be faithful, hehehe. Right Icy?- Jack remarked.

_-You better be.- _IcyYourHeart did a wink.

_-Ugh, if u people keep talking about relationship then I quit.- _-RedArrow- complained.

_-Don't worry, you'll find someone soon.- _DaNoseDive did an action for laughing, then he was hit with an arrow, but the HP bar didn't decreased. Team killing was disabled when in a party and PvP was only allowed in the arena.

_-Pssh, you can't even kill me with that blunt arrow.- _DaNoseDive taunted.

_-Oh once this is over I'll hit u irl. Remember last time? _-RedArrow- asked.

-_Hahaha, im sorry? Please spare me.- _DaNoseDive did a dramatic begging action.

-_Okay u 2, stopped, I think we're almost to the lair or something.- _AXEllence interjected.

Jack checked his map for the areas they have explored so far. This dungeon was a maze, he was surprised that they haven't encountered any mobs or mini boss yet. It was drastically different than the usual standard dungeon he was used to.

-That's weird, it's been empty so far.- Jack typed in. Suddenly he heard a roar and the cave shook violently. Rock particles fell from the ceiling, the RAD members stepped back in caution.

-I spoke too soon.- Jack remarked.

_-Uh huh. Hold on.- _-RedArrow- shot a Flaming Arrow straight in front of the group. As the projectile in fire flew, it lit up the cave. Jack could see a large double-door entrance at the end when the arrow stuck into the wall. Guarded by many level 88 Nightmare Stallions.

A skinny NPC walked out in front of the Nightmare Stallions. It was a rank 9 boss, as displayed under the name Skellington. A round pale white face with 2 large black holes for eyes and 2 smaller ones for nostrils, beneath was a long stitched mouth. It wore a vertically striped suit.

This was new, Jack hadn't seen this guy in the past years.

The boss said nothing, he tilted his head with a bony finger running across his neck in a cut throat suggestion, he retreated back into the shadows and the Nightmare Stallions attacked the RAD members.

-You got anything on him Nose?- Jack questioned as he prepared for the battle.

_-Observation doesn't work on him, and he's off the radar so he's Shadow type. These Nightmares are pretty much the same except they got higher HP and stronger attacks.- _DaNoseDive informed the team.

-Alright then, same plan as usual, except be careful, dunno when the boss will hit.- Jack gave orders to the team, he got agreements in return.

Jack received the damage buff as he launched Frost Wall in front of the group, IcyYourHeart joined him with Frozen Spikes around his spell to enhance the defense effectiveness. The Nightmare Stallions collided against the spikes and jumped back neighing in pain, their HP dropped slightly.

Hicca-posh produced many barrels of oils from his usable items, DaNoseDive activated his speed and stealth as he carried the barrels and poured them all around the Nightmare Stallions. -RedArrow- lit the fuel with a Flaming Arrow lighting the entire cave up and dealt damage in the process.

AXEllence and xChocolat3FTWx used the fire to blazed their weapons and charged forward with a War Cry.

ReindeerBFF stood in the back protecting AintNoSunshin:3 as she kept the team members in top condition.

Hicca-posh built many Lightning Turret and an Elemental Cannon for his Plasma Shot.

Jack kept up the defense of his Frost Wall while IcyYourHeart summoned her Brute Snowman to engage the Nightmare Stallions.

DaNoseDive dashed around with his dual-wield skill and aimed for any weak spots to land critical hits.

The battle with the mobs kept up for a few minutes, RADs managed to finish more than half the amount, they regrouped when suddenly the ground turned black. Everyone in the team was lifted into the air as a smoke black hand came up holding them. Skellington appeared again in front of them, he did another cut throat as the black hand squeezed them.

The team dropped back onto the ground with their HP dropped a significant amount. Jack had never seen this attack move before, his character shook his head as he stood back up. Jack popped a health potion and prepared for a second round.

_-Shit what the heck was that?- _-RedArrow- asked as she refilled her health bar.

_-Dunno, never seen that before.- _DaNoseDive replied.

_-Whatever it was, it hit really hard. Hold on guys, I'll heal.- _AintNoSunshin:3 commented.

_-Don't group up when it happens, spread out.-_ IcyYourHeart suggested.

-_Hard enough to see in this damn cave, oi Hic get me more fuel. Imma burn the entire place.- _-RedArrow- remarked.

-_On it.- _Hicca-posh used some more oil barrels and DaNoseDive repeated the process.

-Let's get rid of the horses first, Nose get a pattern read on that bony crack head.- Jack ordered and summon another Frost Wall and threw out Frost Shot at the Nightmare Stallions' direction.

When Skellington attempted another hand grab, the RAD members jumped out of the way. The fire made it much easier to see the black shadow running under them.

One by one the Nightmare Stallion fell, when the last dissipated into black smoke, Skellington appeared. He looked around to where the level 88 monsters were, he looked back at the team and opened his mouth.

-RedArrow- did a Precision Arrow to Skellington's head, but it simply went right through as it nothing was there. Jack tried a Frost Shot and god the same result.

_-Kekekeke.- _The chilling and raspy laugh came as black particles protruded from the mouth. It covered the entire cave, dousing all the fire when it touched. The cave turned extremely once again.

_-Well shit, fire doesn't work now and we can't hit him.- _DaNoseDive said.

-Huddle around sunshine guys.- Jack told his guildmates.

Everyone stood around AintNoSunshin:3 when she used Glow Sprite, a ball of magical light floated above her head.

Jack did a Wind Blast in an attempt to remove the dark fog, it worked slightly before the smoke reclaimed its place. He saw the ground turned black once again, he tried to jump out but it came quicker than before and the group took the blunt damage. The result was bad, more than half his health bar was gone, the smoke must have been an AOE buff for Shadow attacks.

_-God damn, look at how much that did!.- _DaNoseDive complained when his HP dropped the most compared to everyone else's. The main problem of being an Assassin, lowest defense stats. AintNoSunshin:3 took no liberty in waiting as she started healing him.

_-Spread out, don't group at all.- _Hicca-posh said and broke out of the team's formation, many others did the same.

IcyYourHeart froze the ground with Freezing Land to improve hers and Jack's elemental attack.

The black hand struck again, the ice shattered as the hand broke through, it grabbed nothing but air. IcyYourHeart froze the ground again.

Jack heard a clattering sound, he turned to see Skellington glaring at -RedArrow-, an arrow in his chest. The boss grabbed the arrow, threw it away and the shadow swallowed him.

_-You can hit him when he's attacking.- _Hicca-posh remarked.

Jack grinned to himself preparing himself a charged Frost Shot. When Skellington appeared, he was barraged with both physical and magical attacks from RAD members.

The boss made a loud clattering noise. Instead of disappearing, Skellington summoned many spikes formed from the fog and launched them everywhere.

Jack used a Frost Wall to stop the attack, his guildmates used different means to defend themselves.

DaNoseDive did not stayed back, rather he took advantage of his tremendous speed and weaved his way through the flying projectiles. He repeated stabbed Skellington with Quick Slash.

Skellington's bony facial twitched in agony from the assault, he grabbed DaNoseDive and threw him back. One of his skinny arm ripped the other from its socket and held it as a weapon. The black smoke gathers around it and extended its reach. He charged forward to kill DaNoseDive.

But the RAD members intervened.

Attacks and spells after one another stopped Skellington in his track and made him growled in agony, the health bar had dropped by a small margin. The boss blended himself to the shadow and disappeared.

The fight was gruesome, when someone didn't avoid the black hand or spike in time, that member took major damage and had to be healed as quickly as possible. Eventually they managed to put Skellington's HP down to a measly amount.

_-Kekekeke.- _Skellington laughed again, he stuck the arm back to its place and retreated into the ground, the fog followed.

The fires in the cave lit up again, as if it never went away. The team healed themselves back to fit condition and went towards the giant doors.

Jack hit an action key for his character to interact with the door. He pulled it opened and the team walked inside. Into the darkness they went.

-RedArrow- fired a Flaming Arrow ahead, when she did, torches around the room lit up make the field looked very large. Its terrains were rocky and gray, stalactites poking out from the ceiling looking very intimidating.

In the middle of the room, a lone figure in black stood. It stepped out of the shadow and Jack could see a pale man with golden eyes, and he did not looked amused.

It was Pitch Black, The King of Nightmares. A rank 10+ dungeon boss.

Behind him a familiar NPC came into the light.

Skellington, rank 9+.

And at least a hundred of level 90+ Nightmare Stallions surrounded the RAD members. The door of which they came through shut tight.

_-Well...shit.-_

_-D':-_

_-WTF?!-_

_-This is so cheating.-_

_-Oh come on.-_

_-I prefer last year better.-_

_-Dammit.-_

_-…-_

-Alright, let's do this. Leeeeeeroy Jennnnkins!-

* * *

**Author's Note: Woo! This was so much fun to write, sure brought back a lot of memories when I still played MMO :D. Hope you guys enjoy this as much as I did.**

**This is for Windstruck07, for being awesome :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Journals and Diaries**

**Chapter 2**

**-Part 1**

**"Whenever I see a trail of blood, I can't help myself but wanting to see where it ends... and how it started. You can say it's a... hobby of mine." -Jack**

The train shook lightly as it made its journey through the mountain range. The heavy rain pattered against the window making small chattering sounds. A lightning flashed outside followed by a loud thunder seconds later, jolting awake a sleeping Jack.

Jack sat up from the sudden noise accidently knocking a brown plaid patterned newsboy hat onto the ground. He groaned, bending down to retrieve the fallen item and placed it on his lap. Running a hand through his hair, yawning, Jack took a peek through the glass, the sky was gloomy and dark, lightning in the distance lit up the cloud intimidatingly.

The rain had been relentless in the past week, Jack wasn't superstitious, but he couldn't help but feel as if it was some sort of a bad premonition. When his father died, the weather was the same.

Reaching inside his long brown coat, Jack pulled out a handgun, observing it for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

A short barrel six-shooter, DW-series, compact and comfortable, easy to conceal. Even easier to pull the trigger. It had special floral patterns along the barrel and the letters _J.O.F. _engraved at the bottom of the handle, a custom design.

Jack opened the gun's cartridge, popping it to the side. His fingers ran on the back of the six bronze bullets inside the container. He spun it around before putting it back in and tucked the gun in his back pocket.

_"Ladies and gentlemen, we will be arriving in Arensten in approximately 20 minutes. Passengers please check your belongings and make sure nothing personals are left behind. Thank you." _The speaker in Jack's cabin went live, announcing that he was close to his destination after the lengthy 8 hour trip.

Jack sighed with relief, being on a train for hours was not exciting to say the least. Even as the seats were starting to feel harder as time went on, forcing him to switch with the empty seat across the cabin every once in a while. Digging in his favorite blue vest's breast pocket, he fished out a pocket watch.

Jack flipped open the silver lid, showing a clock with Roman Numerals. Its hands telling him the current time.

_11:26_

Inside the watch's lid contained a small black and white picture. Jack's 17th birthday, and that was 9 years ago. It showed his younger self and 3 other people. A short little girl perched on his shoulders, a woman stood by his left side, and a man to his right. They were all smiling, happy, with little care in the world.

Jack sighed and looked back to the clock.

_11:29_

He closed the lid, his eyes looked around the cabin as he hummed an old tune his mother used to sing when he was little.

_11:35_

Picking up his thin and black wooden walking stick, he twirled it a few times expertly. A gift from a friend 3 years ago.

_11:38_

Jack stood up to reach the overhead compartment, he pulled out a luggage with bronze trims. Unhooking the latches, he opened it, checking the inside contents. His clothes, spare bullets, and a small sized, paper wrapped box labeled _Delivery T-13._ Nothing seemed to be missing.

_11:44_

Looking out at the window, through the harsh rain, Jack could see the train station getting closer. He closed the luggage's hatch, put on the newsboy hat, preparing himself for the arrival to Arensten.

_11:47_

The train had stopped.

_"Ladies and gentlemen, we have now arrived at Queen Eli Station, Arensten. Please check your belongings once more before stepping off. Thank you, and have a nice evening." _

Jack held the luggage with one hand with his cane under the arm. The other occupied with a traveling black umbrella. He went out of his compartment, making his exit off the train and onto the station's cobblestone platform along with many other passengers.

Leaving Queen Eli Station, Jack opened the umbrella, rejecting the rain from soaking his clothes. It was dark out, the street lights gloomed over his head in different directions. He would have to start finding his contact tomorrow. He walked to the edge of the street and raised a hand signaling for a cab service.

A brown and gold stripe flat-box shape automobile stopped in front of him, its headlights reflected against the falling rain. Hand holding the door handle, Jack pulled it and entered the vehicle. Sitting down onto the leather seat, the driver looked through the rear view mirror at his direction.

"Where to, sir?" The driver asked in an accent that Jack assumed to be local. His hair was blond and he was wearing a brown driver's cap.

"I'm new here, and I'm looking for a place to stay, may I get a suggestion?" Jack spoke, folding his umbrella.

"Hmm, let's see, there's certainly a couple of places here, are you looking for a specific area or price range, sir?" The driver gave a thought.

"Just something average for a traveler like me," Jack chuckled, fishing out a piece of paper from his pocket, he read its written content. "Anywhere in the Northern District that's reasonable?"

"Hmm, I know a place there called Rockbell's, it's a small inn, but nice people, and they don't overcharge travelers." The driver answered.

"That sounds good, take me there," Jack sighed, leaning back to the seat. The car rumbled as the driver took it back to the street. Jack sat still closing his eyes as he listened to the rain pounding on the roof.

"So where are you from, sir?" The driver asked as he drove.

"I'm from Burgington, and call me Jack," Jack answered. "You?"

"I was born here, from the Southern District actually, came up here looking for work, and I'm Kristoff," The driver named Kristoff addressed himself. "So what brings you to Arensten?"

"Well...I'm running a short errand for someone here, just stopping by before going to Berkham," Jack said.

"Ah, have you ever been to Coronan? I heard it's really beautiful there," Kristoff asked.

"Hmm, once, though it was during the summer, it was ridiculously hot," Jack whistled. "But the beach was nice."

"Were you swimming or staring?" Kristoff snickered, turning at a corner.

"Both, but more so on the latter, couldn't help myself," Jack laughed a little.

"Well, we are men, can't blame you for that," Kristoff chuckled, agreeing with him. The car turned around several corners, Jack saw different types of signs hanged throughout the street. Most were off due to late night, with the exceptions of 24h stores and inns or hotels. The cab pulled up in front of a building that said 'Rockbell's' at the front. "Well, here we are."

"Thanks for the ride," Jack thanked Kristoff, unlocking the door and stepped out, reopening the umbrella. "So how much is it?"

"That'll be 350 Frenz," Kristoff said.

"Alright," Jack reached inside his vest for a little pouch and pulled out a few silver coins engraved with intricate designs. He gave them to Kristoff who accepted happily. "Well, have a good night."

"Same to you as well, hope you have a good time here in Arensten." Kristoff waved a goodbye before driving off.

Jack gave a long yawn, looking at the inn's entrance and walked in to lend himself a room for the night. Entering the building, he noticed that the floor was coated with matte burgundy wood, different types of artworks hanged along the walls. A few light bulbs shone within the room and a small lit fireplace sat in the middle along with a couple of empty four-seat tables; it gave off a very friendly and cozy feel. Walking up to the counter situated to the side, he saw an asleep young girl with a cup of coffee in her hand, Jack tapped the desk bell.

_Ding!_

The desk girl woke up by the sound of the bell. Jack saw that she had dark blonde hair pulled into a ponytail and looked to be still in her teenage years, wearing formal buttoned up grey clothes. She blinked away the drowsiness and looked at him almost questioningly.

"Uh, I'd like a room please," Jack spoke first, planting his arm on the counter.

"Um sure, excuse me sir, please hold on for a second," the girl fumbled around to grab a black skinny pen with a sharp tip, she dipped it in ink and opened a large book filled with rows and columns. "May I get your name, sir?"

Jack pulled down his hat to scratch his hair, he looked back up at the receptionist. "Jackson Overland."

"Okay then Mister Jackson Overla-" when the girl looked at him, she gasped at the sight of him. She dropped her pen midway through writing his name. "You-you're the famous de-detective Jack Frost!"

Jack chuckled as he ran a hand through his hair, putting his cap back on he put a finger to his mouth giving the universal signal for quiet. "Maybe out there in the city, but here, it's Jackson Overland, alright?"

"Ah, ah okay, sir," the young receptionist flushed, hastily picking up the pen and finished writing his name.

"Thank you," Jack gave her a grin and paid her the necessary amount for staying the night.

"Ahem," the girl said shyly, reaching down behind a counter, she pulled out a newspaper. Turning on its pages, she showed him a black and white picture of someone next to an article that said '_The Case of the Decade: Dissolved'._ Jack noticed that it was him, he groaned inwardly, from the angle that it was taken, it must have been a sneak photograph. Jack didn't enjoy the fame much and would try to avoid publicity, but about 2 times, someone had managed to capture a picture of him after a large case. He didn't think that he had fans.

"Cou-could you sign this for me? I-I mean, my little bro-brother admires you a lot, so it's uh, for him," the young receptionist stammered, cheeks flushed, fingers shakily holding the pen.

Jack sighed, he calmly took the dip pen and chuckled. "Alright then, for your 'brother'. Happiness is the greatest gift of all," Jack spoke as he swiftly wrote on the empty space of the newspaper, he glanced at the receptionist's nametag and grinned. "Aurelia."

The said girl named Aurelia flushed as she fiddled with her nametag, once Jack was done, she gingerly accepted his autograph. Jack smiled at how happy the girl was, he supposed doing something like this once in awhile wasn't so bad.

"So, could you show me my room now?" Jack asked.

"Oh right, I'm sorry, right this way sir," Aurelia hurriedly closed the check-in book, leaving the counter she led him to the wooden stairs. "Here, let me carry your stuff, sir."

"It's okay, just show me my room," Jack denied her offer, shaking his head. "Just lead the way."

"Ah okay, sir," Aurelia retreated her hands.

"No need for formalities, you can call me Jack," Jack said, dangling his cane back and forth.

"Um, sure, Mister Jackson," Aurelia replied respectfully.

"No, just Jack."

"Mister Jackson."

"Just...Jack."

"But Mister-"

"Jack, say it, just Jack."

"Ja-"

"That's it."

"Mister Jackson."

"Oh just forget it," Jack palmed his forehead, which elicited a giggle from the young receptionist.

"Well, here is your room, sir," Aurelia opened a wooden with the number _8_ engraved on it.

"Thank you," Jack walked into his room. It was a simple room including a single bed, an end table, a small working desk and a few simple appliances. The window next to the bed with its curtains parted showing the street outside.

"If you require any assistance or have any questions, please come down to the front desk and either me or someone else will help. Also, breakfast is served downstairs everyday." Aurelia spoke, hands in front of her in a formal manner. "I hope you have a nice stay."

"Thank you for the hospitality," Jack nodded and smiled. "Have a good night."

The receptionist's cheeks pinked a little before excusing herself and went back down.

Jack gave a yawn as he closed the door behind him. Dropping the luggage onto the ground and stripping the excessive clothes off, wearing only a long pants and long-sleeved shirt, Jack went into the small bathroom. Pulling the curtains out of their ties causing them to cover the window, he flopped onto the bed and switched off the night lamp, engulfing the room in darkness, save for a soft light casted by the moon.

"Sir and mister...why do I feel so old?"

…

Fixing the hat on his head with one hand, the other holding the umbrella. The rain had lessened greatly compared to the day before. Jack glanced at his pocket watch, it was already noon, now he had to find his destination. As he walked, Jack twirled the cane in circle while whistling a jaunty tune. The street was in the busy hour, people and cars swarmed his vision everywhere he looked.

Jack went to a convenience store to purchase a map of Arensten to keep himself from getting lost. Checking the address from a slip of paper, he headed north, through the busied market.

As a certain rather large building came into view, in fact, the entire road was surrounded by large households. Checking for the correct number, Jack went up to a door step. Hesitantly, he pressed on the doorbell.

_Buzzzz!_

The sound stopped when Jack released his finger from the button. Tapping his foot patiently as he waited, listening to the sound of rain falls and pedestrians from behind. At hearing the door lock turned, Jack took a small step back, waiting for the person to open the door fully. A lock of strawberry-blonde hair was the first thing that Jack saw once the door started opening. A young girl's head peaked out staring at him. She had blue eyes, freckles adorned her curious expression as she stared at him, 2 braids hanged over either side of her shoulders.

"Hello?" The girl asked him, hands on the doorframe.

"Uh hello, my name is Jackson Overland, and is this is Ostberg family?" Jack asked after introducing himself.

"Um, yes, who are you looking for?"

"I'm here to see Sir Lachlan Ostberg, is he happened to be home?"

"That's my father, in less than an hour, he should be. You can come in and wait if you'd like," the girl offered.

"Well, I don't want to intrud-"

"Honey! Who's at the door?" A mature and feminine voice rang out from within the house.

"I don't know Mama, but he's someone named Jackson and he's looking for Papa," the girl answered back.

"Invite him in, your father should be home in a few," the woman spoke.

"That's what I'm doing, but I think he's shy."

Jack rose a brow questioningly, he's anything but shy. "Um excuse me miss..."

"Oh I'm sorry, haven't introduced myself. I'm Annabelle," the girl grinned pointing at herself.

"Well ok Miss Annabelle, perhaps I'll come back in an hour or so," Jack began to take a step back.

"No no no, it's okay, you should come in. You're not...demure are you? And please, call me Anna," she spoke.

"Miss, I don't think Demure was born with me the day I came into this world," Jack joked.

"Oh haha, anyway, please come in, I insist," Annabelle opened the door further in an inviting manner.

"Thank you for the hospitality Miss Anna," Jack gave a little curt bow before entering. Anna offered to hang his umbrella in a nearby stand, in which he politely refused and did it himself.

Upon entering the house, Jack glanced around taking in the house interior. The marble floor shined and d reflections of various household items and their surroundings. Making his way into what seemed to be the grand living room, a crystal-designed chandelier hanged dazzlingly under its silver chain.

A woman wearing a floral gown stepped out from what seemed to be the kitchen. Brown hair tied into an elegant bun, a pair of earrings adorned her features and a blue sapphire necklace draped on her slightly exposed neck. Behind her, Jack could see a maid cleaning while dressed in black and white.

"Greetings young man, I am Lydia Ostberg," the woman introduced herself, Anna stood next to her. "And you've met my daughter Annabelle."

"Pleasure to meet you Lady Ostberg," Jack bowed a little. "My name is Jackson Overland."

"Please, just Lydia is fine, you're our guest here," Anna's mother gave him a kind smile, she went over to a rather fancy couch. Both of them sat on one side. "Please come and sit."

"Thank you," Jack politely sat down onto the soft cushion beneath him, removing his hat.

"So Jackson, I hear that you are here for my husband," Lydia began. "Is there a reason why, may I ask?"

"Well, I think I'm just here to receive something," Jack answered, not sure if she knew about the package.

"Oh? Is that so? I hope my husband isn't involved in any sort of gambling debt, is he?" Lydia raised an eyebrow, seemingly slightly agitated. Jack noticed her smile strained a little as she spoke, he shoulders straightened.

"No no no, of course not, I'm not even sure what it is exactly either, all I know is that I am doing an errand for someone else," Jack denied Lydia's suspicion.

"Ah I see, well then," Lydia looked to her daughter. "Anna dear, why don't you fetch your sister and tell her to greet our guest."

"Okay Mama!" Anna sat up cheerfully and skipped her way up the wooden staircase.

"She seems spritely," Jack commented when Anna disappeared on the second floor.

"She got it from my side of the family," Lydia chuckled amusingly, she waved at the maid from behind. "Tea for our guest please, Rose."

"Coming right up," the maid replied respectfully.

"You don't have to-"

"Nonsense, it is only good manners," Lydia waved Jack off.

The maid named Rose brought a tray with white tea cups and a teapot settling them on the table between the 2 couches. She looked like she was in her early 20's. Wearing a black outfit with a white apron and headband. Dark crimson hair in slight curls that reached down to her upper back, 2 bangs framing her face.

"Thank you," Jack said nodding his head.

Rose gave a small smile and bowed before retreating back into the kitchen to continue her maid duty.

"That girl, such a little sweetheart," Lydia chuckled, picking up her tea. "Please, help yourself."

Jack stayed silence as he took a cup and drank in the tea. The warm aroma traveled into his nostril, the familiar taste lounged past the throat; the famous tea only known to be found in the Northern Mountain Range. It was not something affordable for the lower class.

"She was taken in from the street, am I right?" Jack spoke.

"Oh? How did you know?" Lydia said aloud in surprise.

"The small marks on her right cheek and fingers, long faded, most likely from being abused at a young age. Timid smile, indicating a suppressive person, often known to suffer at one point. Outfit complete covered and buttoned up without any frills, a sense of protection. Wearing a headband, but hair is left curling showing freedom, however, duty-bound. From the soft tone when you ordered her, she is like a daughter to you, but insist on being a maid in order to repay your kindness," Jack theorized, sipping on the tea. "And you named her Rose because of her hair."

Lydia stared at him in shock and impressed, Jack assumed that he had hit all the points correctly.

"That was...impressive," Lydia commented.

"Thank you," Jack replied. "I was correct then?"

"Spot on," Lydia smiled fondly, leaning back with her tea giving a glance at Rose. "Well my daughters found her. Our family was on a little stroll through town on the night of Christmas Eve, watching the parade. We walked pass a little alley and little Anna heard something so she pulled her sister in as well, we followed. There was a little girl inside, no more than 10, bruised and battered, holding onto the ragged piece of cloth trying to keep warm."

She sniffled from the memory.

"It was heartbreaking, seeing someone abandoned in the cold, she was just a little child! Both of our daughters began trying to give the girl some clothes of their own, even my eldest, who treasured her gloves, a gift from her father, even lent them as well. At first, she was frightened, but through soothing words, she accepted them. Deciding back and forth, we took her in. She couldn't talk very well and didn't even know her own name thus Anna gave her one because of the 'pretty red hair' as she put it. Rose's been living with us ever since, such a kind girl too."

Jack slapped his forehead.

"What is it?" Lydia asked, confused at the sudden action.

"I got the naming part wrong, it wasn't you that named her."

"Oh," she paused, then laughed amusingly. "It bothers you that much?"

"Sort of," Jack chuckled. "That was sweet of your daughters."

"They're my little angels," Lydia agreed, smiling.

"Mother! I am not meeting another suitor, I told you I do not wish to be married yet!" a voice came from upstairs that did not belong to Anna, but suggested as someone older.

Jack looked up to see a figure being pulled down by an excited Anna, she was slightly taller and was trying to keep herself from fumbling from the descent. Pale blonde hair in a messy bun that seemed to have been made in a hurry. Her eyes were blue, a few bangs framing the top of her forehead. Wearing a dark blue ankle-length skirt with a white long-sleeved blouse, a few buttons unhooked at the neck area. Jack estimated for her to be around the age of 23 and very unlikely to be married.

"Annabelle! What did you say to your sister?" Lydia asked sternly.

"Oh hehe, nothing, Mama," Anna whistled innocently.

"She told me that I would be meeting someone, Mother, I thought we had agreed that you wouldn't be doing this anymore."

"Anna," Lydia sighed a rubbed her temple. "Anyhow, that is not why I want you down here. This is our guest."

Jack stood up and bowed slightly while keeping his gaze on the blonde woman. "Hello, my name is Jackson Overland, a pleasure to meet you Miss-"

"Elizabeth," she answered.

"A pleasure to meet you Miss Elizabeth." Jack repeated.

"Likewise," Elizabeth nodded at him then glared at Anna.

"I regret nothing," Anna put her hands up in defense while trying to keep a grin from splitting her face in half. "She slept a lot."

"Excuse me, for I look like a mess right now," Elizabeth spoke, commenting on her appearance.

"It's completely fine miss, I won't be here for long." Jack replied sitting back down.

"Very well, anyway, do make yourself comfortable," Elizabeth said.

"I shall," Jack flashed a smile.

"Come sit Elizabeth, I think you just might find him interesting," Lydia suggested with a smile.

"Mother," Elizabeth groaned.

"For he is a detective, isn't that right, Jackson?" Lydia asked.

"Detective?" Anna wondered out loud, surprised and looked at him.

Elizabeth only looked perplex as she sat down gently next to her mother and sister.

"Well...part time." Jack said sheepishly.

"Wait, how'd you know that he's a detective?" Anna asked.

"He had just gave me a summary of Rose's life," Lydia answered.

"Woah..."

"Yes, woah indeed," Elizabeth whispered, eyes observing him. Both hands resting on her lap.

"Any questions on your mind Miss Elizabeth?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"You really are a detective?"

"It's part of my profession."

"And what would that be?"

"Doing deliveries, and solving cases."

"Part of a group?"

"...I work alone."

"Not even an assistant?"

"Are you doubting my skill?"

Elizabeth smiled. "A small test then? Detective Overland?"

Jack blinked a fee times, sipped his tea and placed the cup with the saucer back down to the table.

"I don't see why not."

"It is rather simple. My sister here, has hidden something rather precious of mine out of a childish prank, I would like to see it returned."

Anna and her mother looked at each other, bewildered.

"That's kind of vague, isn't it?" Anna asked her sister. "And it was not childish! Wait, prank?"

"Would you like to know what it is detective?" Elizabeth continued to smile.

In normal situations, Jack would have preferred a few clues to give him a lead, but he didn't want them this time, he could solve this without too much trouble.

"I think I'll figure it out."

Leaning forward, Jack put his hands together fingers pushing against one another. Eyes fixated on Elizabeth, analyzing her every movement: the soft cool breathing, the lax shoulders, eyes staring back at him silently challenging.

What would that item be? Something precious, something precious. Most likely often worn with care, very unlikely to get lost. A prank? No, it wasn't a prank. A calm and collected person, carrying an item on person at all times, both outside and inside. Perhaps not indoor.

Elizabeth was still smiling, Anna looked confused, and Lydia enjoying herself with the tea. She shuffled her hands, one draping over the forearm. A finger tapping, wait a second.

"A pair of gloves, most likely inside your pillow's case," Jack said.

"What?" Anna asked, head tilted. Lydia's eyes were glistened with curiosity.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, looking indifferent.

"Care to share us your theory?"

Jack grinned and sat forward, staring straight into Elizabeth's eyes. "It was not your sister, it was you. It couldn't have been a prank since she obviously did not know, meaning you hid it. But it was precious, so not hidden away, but kept safely. It was not an item, but _items_, plural in the sense of single meaning it is a pair. You are a self-composed person, long-sleeve blouse and skirt, calm, collective, poise, and wearing a bun. However, your hands were held together the whole time, a common habit of wearing gloves, and gloves come in pair, not single. They aren't usually worn inside. People keep their precious things close to themselves, in your case the pillow due to the case of being a heavy sleeper indicated by your sister earlier."

"A simple case of reverse questioning," Jack sat back and smile.

Elizabeth looked shock, her eyes were wide and mouth slightly opened. The other 2 sat still, unmoving.

"And judging from your expression, I'd say that I had hit the right spot," Jack commented.

"Ah-impressive," Elizabeth gathered herself together. "But why inside the case and not just simply under the pillow?"

"One of the first things a person would do when searching is to flip the pillows. To ensure that others will not find it, you placed them inside for insurance. For instance, your sister perhaps because of her pranks."

The room was silenced as Jack continued to stare at Elizabeth for affirmation. A short clap came out, it was from Lydia.

"Outstanding work," Lydia laughed as she applauded. "I've never seen my daughter so speechless before. Simply outstanding."

"Mother," Elizabeth groaned.

"That was amazing!" Anna exclaimed. "It's my first time actually getting to see a detective in action."

"I'm not anyone spectacular," Jack spoke.

He heard a giggle from the back and looked up to see Rose leaning against the counter.

"Not spectacular are you?" Rose asked.

"What do you mean Rose?" Anna turned around.

Rose walked up carrying a tray of biscuits and chocolates, setting down on the table, she spoke while smiling. "I remember now, I've seen you on the papers before. Detective Jack Frost."

"I think I've heard of him before," Anna the realized, pointing at Jack. "It's you! The one that solved the Stollston Family and the impossible Case of the Decade!"

Elizabeth raised a brow.

"I might've been that person," Jack said slowly, busying himself with the tea, which was now empty.

"You definitely are!"

"I tried to avoid the press," Jack chuckled, admitting himself.

"That's a shame, I think you're a lot better than most I've read about," Rose commented.

"You truly think so?"

"At least you don't boast about it like others I've met."

"Wait, Rose, you've seen other detectives?" Anna asked in surprise.

"Ah, well, they're common in the market," Rose flushed a little.

"Oh, have you been seeing someone in secret that we don't know about?" Anna grinned mischievously.

"O-of course not, excuse me, I'll be in the kitchen," Rose strode quickly away from the living room into the back.

Elizabeth stayed quiet, staring at the food tray.

Jack sat still, confused as to what just had just transpired.

"Like you when you first met that Westergard boy?" Lydia remarked.

"Ugh, please don't mention him ever again." Anna made a disgusted face.

"Ok, I won't. Since you learned your lesson," Lydia chuckled, she glanced at Elizabeth. "So was Jackson right with his deduction?"

Elizabeth mutely nodded.

"You can't say he's like the other ones you've met right?"

"Mother," Elizabeth exasperated.

"Uh oh," Anna gasped, covering her mouth. "No way!"

"What?"

"Oh ho ho ho ho," Anna smirked devilishly, grabbing a chocolate truffle. "I know that look."

"What look?" Elizabeth asked.

"You know what I mean."

"No I do not, care to elaborate?"

"Right here? Because I will."

"Of course right her-, oh no, don't you dare!" Elizabeth became alarmed.

"You lik-mmmffff."

Elizabeth blocked Anna's mouth in a hurry as a panicked look dawned upon her face.

Lydia only smirked in understanding.

Jack could do nothing but be dumbfounded at what was occurring in front of him. This was all something new, something he had never experienced before.

"Save your sister the embarrassment Anna dear," Lydia chortled.

Anna playfully nudged Elizabeth with a wide grin on her face, the latter simply buried her face in her hands.

Jack couldn't understand why, but he felt completely lost.

"Don't think too much about it dear," Lydia saw his confusion and chuckled. "Say, how old are you Jackson?"

"Um, I'm 26 this year ma'am," Jack answered.

"A wife?"

"No."

"A girlfriend perhaps?"

"Not at the moment."

"Any plans in the future?"

"Haven't crossed my mind yet," Jack didn't understand why Lydia was asking him all of this.

"Ah I see," Lydia tapped her chin while smiling, it made Jack slightly unnerved. He shifted in his seat with little comfort from her gaze.

"Ooh Jackson, how many cases have you been in?" Anna interrupted, eyes gleaming.

"Um let's see," Jack racked his memory trying to remember. "Maybe around 70 or so, not that many I'm afraid."

"Woah, and how many years have you been doing it?"

"I think it may have been 6 years since I've started."

"That's quite some time," Anna whistled, she nudged Elizabeth and grinned. "Come on, I know you have some questions for him."

Elizabeth reluctantly glanced up and made eye contact with him, her cheeks dusted a light shade of pink. Jack thought that she looked cute.

Elizabeth cleared her throat.

"How often do you travel?"

"I never stay in one place for long, so all the time," Jack answered.

"Don't you have a family?"

"A mother and younger sister."

"Aren't they worried with you being a detective? I can't imagine it being a safe profession."

"It's certainly not the safest, but it's fun solving cases and traveling," Jack said.

"And you only work alone?"

"I have colleagues here and there."

"Oh, um, why exactly are you here, may I ask?"

"Doing a delivery for your father I believe," Jack replied, shrugging.

"I see-"

_Buzzzz!_

The door bell cut off Elizabeth's sentence, she looked to the door.

"I'll get it!" Anna chirped and ran to open it.

Jack saw a figure towering over Anna embracing her, who hugged back with great passion. Jack made out the person to be a man late in his years.

"Welcome home Papa," Anna greeted her father.

"Hey there my little angel," Anna's father ruffled her hair affectionately, she pouted and tried to fix it.

The man was tall, brown hair with a tinge of blond combed neatly. Wearing a navy with gold-patterned military suit. He strode in as the metallic medals clinked against each other, placing the uniform cap on Anna's head who took it with glee.

"Good afternoon Rose," he spoke.

"Afternoon," Rose replied from within the kitchen.

Lydia stood up from the couch and went over to her husband, they kissed each other on the cheek.

"Welcome home love," Lydia said lovingly.

"Can't go anywhere without missing you dear," the man chuckled, he leaned and put a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. "You too of course."

"Father, I'm not little anymore," Elizabeth sighed, removing herself from the grasp.

"I know you aren't, but you'll always be my little girl," Elizabeth's father grinned.

"Father," Elizabeth flushed and put a hand in Jack's direction. "You have a guest."

"Oh?" The man turned to Jack.

Jack stood up and introduced himself. "Jackson Overland, please to meet you Sir Ostberg."

"Lachlan is fine, and likewise Jackson," the man put out a hand and Jack shook it. "And you are here to see me? Jackson?"

"Yes sir," Jack nodded, he showed Lachlan the small slip of paper. Elizabeth and Lydia tried to peek at it, but Jack pulled away before they could make out the words written. Anna skipped her way into the kitchen, chatting away with Rose.

"I see," Lachlan turned serious, he looked back to his family. "Excuse us. Jackson, follow me to my study."

Jack nodded and followed the man up the stairs, at the end of the hallway, Lachlan opened a wooden door and Jack stepped in. It shut behind him and Jack heard a clacking sound.

The first thing Jack saw when turning around was a silver short six-shooter's barrel pointing straight at him. Lachlan's face was grim; shoulders squared, eyes narrowed with scrunched brows, and a frown plastered. Jack immediately put both his hands up in surrender.

"The bird that sings at dawn," Lachlan spoke quietly.

"Is one that still breathes," Jack answered hastily.

"Once it does no more."

"Forever it will haunt."

The man said nothing as he continued to glare at Jack.

"I have credential," Jack took out his silver pocket watch, flipping it opened.

Lachlan stared at Jack for a good moment before his gaze softened, lowering the gun, he tucked it back inside his uniform.

"Forgive me, but I had to be sure you're not a fake," Lachlan explained.

"Understandable, I would have done the same," Jack admitted.

"So do you know why you're here?"

"I'm assuming that you have a parcel for me to deliver back to head quarter?"

"Correct," Lachlan nodded and went over to a brown desk by a curtained window. On top of it are neatly placed writing utensils and paper forms. A large bookcase stood on one side, the top shelf filled with different types of medals and plaques, below were books. A large decorative ship-in-a-bottle sat at the top of the case. The other side of the room was a large cabinet with many different drawers labeling from A to Z.

"Here it is," Lachlan snapped Jack out of his interior observation and handed him a small paper wrapped rectangular item. It felt light and it was the size of his palm.

"This is it?" Jack commented, tossing the parcel up and down several times.

"That, may just be the only thing to give us an edge over _him_. Acquiring it was no simple task, I know there are others that would kill me and my family for it," Lachlan spoke gravely. "So keep it safe until you see North."

"You have my word," Jack affirmed, placing the item into his vest pocket.

"So, business aside," Lachlan exhaled, allaying all the stuffy feeling that had built up. He leaned back against the desk crossing his arms. "I see that you've met my family."

"Yes I have, and they are absolutely lovely," Jack planted the walking stick against his foot.

"Glad to hear that, don't say this to them...but living in a house full of women can be quite frustrating," Lachlan lowered his voice.

"Is it that bad?" Jack's mouth twitched into a smile.

"Oh you have no idea," Lachlan chuckled. "So you have a girl?"

"No sir, I'm flying solo right now," Jack answered.

"Ah I see, well, you better treasure those joyful moments of freedom right now, because I tell you, being married will give you early gray hair." Lachlan laughed, he noticed several silver strands from Jack's brown locks. "Although I see that you've sprouted some already."

"I'll keep that in mind sir," Jack ran a hand through his hair.

"But it has its merits, and by the time you have kids, it makes you feel complete. I know what it feels like and trust me, it'll be all worth it in the end."

"Ah, I see, but why are you telling me all this?" Jack asked.

"No reason," Lachlan shrugged. "I just wanted to say something smart. So where are you from?"

"Burgington," Jack replied.

"Down in the Southern Mountain Range huh, that's a long way from here," Lachlan put a finger to his chin. "I've been there once, nice place, very peaceful."

"It can get a bit boring," Jack commented.

"Ah, lack of exciting things can make a man itchy for them."

"I can't argue with that."

"Is that why you pursued being a detective? Or is it for the thrill?"

"It's partially the reasons."

"Judging from that look, someone close to you died?"

"...my father, he was murdered," Jack answered darkly.

"I see, my apology," Lachlan closed his eyes shortly.

"It's fine, I've learned to not get frustrated over his death," Jack exhaled.

"That's good, having a grudge doesn't do any good for the mind," Lachlan nodded. "So when are you leaving Arensten?"

"I'm catching the next train 2 days from now, leaving me a bit of time to tour the city."

"Do so, it's quite a huge place. Where are you heading once leaving?"

"Berkham, I have to see a friend of mine there, then I'll go straight to Polem," Jack answered.

"I sure miss the old days before settling down, always travelling here and there," Lachlan chuckled, hand brushing his chin. "Now I hear nothing but politicians arguing over tax and their plans."

"Sounds rough, I'd gone crazy around those kind of people everyday."

"You learn to deal with them eventually," Lachlan shrugged. "So you're a detective?"

"Yes sir."

"Any good?"

"I'm decent," Jack blew his bang upward.

"Heh, doubt it, you're a lot smarter than you let on, you quiet lots are always like that," Lachlan scoffed.

"I don't judge myself, sir."

"And sensible too, wish there're more people like you nowadays," Lachlan chuckled, rubbing his chin. "So what do you think of my daughters?"

"Sir?" Jack raised his brow.

"Just give me your opinions on each of them." Lachlan specified with mirth.

"Uh," Jack scratched the back of his head. "Well, Rose seems very hardworking. Annabelle is quite cheerful and full of life. As for Elizabeth, she's a bit closed off and dislikes getting married?"

"That's about summing it up," Lachlan chuckled. "I'm starting to wonder if my eldest daughter will ever find a husband at all. She wasn't too thrilled with her previous suitors."

"Are you forcing your daughter to get married?" Jack asked.

"Oh no, I was actually hoping to get her at least talk to somebody other than burying her face into books all the time."

"She's a heavy reader?"

"Ever since she first learned how to speak," Lachlan nodded. "A remarkable one she is."

"I can't help my curiosity but, does Elizabeth have something against having a family of her own?"

"I don't think it's that," Lachlan shook his head. "One time when there was a ball held by the Westergard family and we attended it."

"I've heard your wife mentioned something about your daughter Anna smitten with some Westergard person," Jack remarked.

"Oh yes she was, except for the fact that the family had 13 sons," Lachlan replied.

Jack did nothing but whistled.

"I think they might have had a bit too much fun," Lachlan laughed. "Anyway, apparently Elizabeth was played by one of them or something, causing her to get upset and stormed out of the party. Needlessly to say, I wasn't too happy either and since then, our families weren't exactly on the best of term."

"Ah I see, well it solved some of the mysteries about her," Jack said.

"Oh," Lachlan looked amused, he leaned forward. "Trying to figure my little Elizabeth now?"

"Of course, I'm curious about her-" Jack started, then quickly realized his answer. "I-I mean, it's a habit, I've...always had it. Wanting to know about certain people."

Silence followed until Lachlan barked out a laughter, Jack jumped a little.

"You know Jackson," he made eye contact with Jack, gleaming. "I can tell that you're a good man. I certainly wouldn't mind having you for a son-in-law."

Jack's lost his stance for a moment and snapped his head to Lachlan. "Wait, what are you talking about?"

"You're a detective, figure it out yourself," Lachlan smirked, he stood up straight and walked to the door. Opening it, he placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. "We only got one lifetime Jackson, best find out what it is that you want before it's too late."

Jack didn't reply as he mutely followed the elder man out of the study. His mind whirling from Lachlan's respond. He looked out at the window, it was still raining.

"Leaving so soon?" Jack snapped out of his thoughts when Lydia's voice rang out. He looked around to already find himself back in the living room. Anna and Rose sitting on the couch chatting with Elizabeth rubbing her forehead.

"Yes ma'am, Sir Lachlan and I have finished our business," Jack answered.

"Why don't you stay for lunch?" Lydia offered.

"Uh, I'd rather not bother your family time," Jack replied. "And besides, I have something else to attend to. I appreciate your offer."

"Oh, that's too bad, I was hoping for some detective stories," Anna pouted and Rose giggled.

"Perhaps another time if I ever see you again," Jack smiled, looking back to Lachlan. "I'll take my leave now."

"Have a nice day Jackson, and enjoy Arensten while you're at it," they shook each other's hand.

"Will do sir," Jack turned to the rest of the family members and bid them goodbye. When he saw Elizabeth staring at him, he raised a brow. "Yes Miss Elizabeth? Something bothering you?"

Elizabeth blinked from her staring at him, a giggling Anna slapped her arm playfully causing a glare to be redirected towards her from the older sister. Elizabeth shook her head. "Nothing that matters, have a nice day."

"To you as well," Jack grinned at her warmly before leaving with Rose to the door, reclaiming his umbrella on the way out. Snapping it open, Jack stepped onto the cobblestone street under the rain making his way to a nearby shop hoping to buy his sister a birthday gift.

…

_Knock knock knock!_

Thumbing sounds against the wooden door pulling Jack from his sleep. He groaned, burying his face with the pillow hoping for the person to leave.

_Knock knock knock!_

Sitting up and got out of the bed, Jack treaded towards the door still in his sleep clothes, wondering who would wake him up in the middle of the night. Grabbing the handle and twisting it opened rather abruptly.

"What?" Jack asked, annoyed.

"Oh I-I'm sorry!" It was Aurelia standing at the door. "I know it's not the best time, but there's been a murder."

"Huh, what?" Jack rubbed his eyes, forcing himself awake.

"I figure since you're a detective, you should know," Aurelia said.

"All right, give me a moment," Jack closed the door, went into the bathroom to wash his face. Putting on the black shoes, he grabbed the coat along with an umbrella before heading out with Aurelia.

"Did the news just arrived?" Jack asked as he walked down the stairs.

"Just now," Aurelia nodded to his side.

"Is it anyone important?"

"Yes, it's our military general, Sir Lachlan Ostberg."

Jack froze as his right foot touched the last step of the stairs. He turned to Aurelia abruptly.

"What?"

* * *

**Author's Note: Holy crap, I am so sorry for the ultra late update! Anyway, this is the first part of this short story, I will finish the second one uh, soon. Hopefully it won't be too far from now since I have to do school stuff. Thank you so much for anyone that reviewed or simply read this story, I am very grateful.**

**-May the Fortress be with You.**


End file.
